This Is Who We Are
by GwevinForever
Summary: A dangerous alien is out on the loose, and is searching for Verdona's family. The team are forced to step up and fight, no matter what the cost. Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10. Heck, I barely own a sock that doesn't have bum elastic.


Chapter 1 - Grandpa Max Visits

Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep!

Gwen Tennyson's alarm clock went off, and she buried her face into her pillow, moaning. The sun slanted into her room, right onto her face, blinding her as she turned and opened her large, green eyes. Her bright red hair stuck up like a bird's nest, and her pretty face was smudged by sleep. She stretched like a cat, willing herself to wake up. She had a three-week break from school, for reasons she wasn't sure of, and certainly wasn't going to question. She pulled herself out of bed, and lumbered over to the bathroom to freshen up. In a few minutes, she was dressed, with her hair neatened up, and she made her way down for breakfast.

She ambled over her breakfast, sipping at a glass of juice, and nibbling at her toast, glorifying in not having to wolf down a bagel on her way out the door. She went back to her room, and sprawled on the bed, looking out of the window. Tiring of this, she got her laptop off her desk, and turned it on. In a few minutes, she was browsing through a list of movies, trying to choose one. Finally settling on one, titled "The Heat", she yelled to her mother for some popcorn, and settled down. Ten minutes into the movie, popcorn arrived, in the hands of Gwen's mother Natalie, who bore a striking resemblance to her lovely daughter. As her mother made her way down the stairs, Gwen's phone began to ring. She fished around for it, locating it under a pile of pillows and bed sheets. "Hey, Ben!" she said, distractedly, trying to think back to the Prohibition Era that Sandra Bullock was talking about. "Gwen, you've gotta get down here, like now!" He exclaimed. "But, why?" She said, disgruntledly. "It's my Saturday morning Ben!" Her cousin replied: "Grandpa Max is here, Gwen, he needs to talk to us.""Oh, alright, I need a ride, though" She countered. "Already fixed, Kevin's on his way. See ya!" He said, hanging up before she could argue. Gwen growled at nothing in particular, and then bounced up to fix her face and appearance before her boyfriend arrived. She was out of the bathroom – for the second time that morning – just as she heard an impatient honk at the gate. Checking her reflection one last time, she ran down the stairs, waved at her parents, and slammed the door on her way out. She pulled the passenger door of Kevin's Dodge, and climbed in. "Hey Kev." She said, pulling her seatbelt on. "Hey Gwen." He replied. "Why does Grandpa Max want to see us?" She asked. "Don't know, I just got a call from Benji asking me to come over and pick you up." He replied gruffly. "Oh. Everything okay?" Gwen asked her boyfriend, watching him out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah, sure, except for the fact that that idiot cousin of yours dragged me out of my garage." He replied. She laughed, making him smile too – he loved when she laughed, it was such a pure, lovely sound. "Me too, I've got a couple weeks off, starting today, and he literally called the minute my popcorn arrived." Kevin smirked. Gwen leaned her forehead against the cool glass and looked out of the window, and the drove along in silence, Kevin stealing sideways glances at her every so often. As they pulled up outside Ben's, Kevin leaned over to her and said "If you're up for it, after whatever it is Ben's jumping about over, we could go get lunch or catch a movie""Perfect" She said, smiling up at his dark eyes. She loved his eyes, they were like windows to his soul, it was as though you could see everything that he really was, only if you bothered to look into his eyes. Kevin, in the meantime, was looking down into the bright green eyes of the only person he'd ever opened up to, the only person he'd ever cared for unconditionally. She leaned forward and touched her lips to his nose. "Let's go", she murmured.

Together, they approached Ben's front door, and Kevin jabbed at the doorbell. "Don't break it like you did mine", Gwen warned. The door swung open, and Ben stood there, a faintly worried expression on his face.

"What's up, Ben?"

"Yeah, Tennyson, you better have a good reason for dragging me out!"

Gwen caught sight of him as she walked through the door.

"Grandpa!"

"Gwenny! It's been so long since I've seen you kids! Hey, Kevin, how have you been, son?"

"What are you doing here, Grandpa?"

"This could take a while, sit down guys" Ben interrupted. Confused, the pair sat down on one of the sofas, and turned attentively to Max.

"I didn't want to involve you kids, but I don't think I've got a choice anymore. There's a dangerous alien out on the loose, he's called Zaurus. He was in a max-security prison in the Null Void until a few weeks ago. He's a Lwarax from the planet Lwarin, and-"

"Oh, no, no, no way Gwen's going in there." Kevin broke in feverishly.

"huh?" Gwen asked, confused.

"Lwaraxes-" Kevin started.

"I was getting to that Kevin!" Grandpa Max said tersely.

"Wait! Getting to what?" Gwen cried

"The catch. The reason I didn't want to get you kids involved. Lwaraxes and Anodites are mortal enemies. They've never gotten along, and it's very unsafe for you there. Lwaraxes are capable of emitting a chemical that, with prolonged exposure, can cause serious brain damage in Anodites. Zaurus was the ruler of Lwarin, until he attempted to wage war on Anodine, leading to his capture by Verdona and the members of Anodine's triumvirate."

"Wait, a triumvirate? Like in Rome?" Gwen interrupted

Grandpa Max glared at her. "Anodine's legal system is not the point here, Gwen. So, Zaurus has history with Verdona, and he knows that her family is out there, somewhere on earth. What he doesn't know is your names -which means he thinks he is dealing with humans rather than the wielder of the Omnitrix - and that you're an Anodite, Gwen, but it won't take him long to guess if he ever fights you, and that will only worsen it. Zaurus' hate of Anodites is senseless. While his kind does not trust the Anodites, he hates them to the point of madness. The Plumbers have been chasing Zaurus ever since he escaped from the Null Void. They've been unsuccessful in capturing him. The Plumbers can't do anything anymore, they're simply not powerful enough, and the Anodites are unwilling to fight a war, they're peace loving, gentle, however they are indescribably powerful. Verdona could turn them, but unfortunately she's in the farthest corner of the universe, close on the outer edge of the Andromeda galaxy, she cannot possibly be reached, and cannot therefore help us. If Zaurus isn't stopped, he will go after Earth, searching for Verdona's earth family, and then Anodine, leading to interplanetary war and unrest that if unchecked, could unbalance the universe. Kevin, of course, doesn't know that, he was worried because of the chemical, Esytrase."

"So? I'm not afraid, we do what we have to Grandpa, and you know that." Gwen said, evenly "Kevin doesn't have to get involved if he doesn't want to, this is a battle for the Tennysons to fight.

That stung. Gwen was clearly drawing a line between him and them.

"I'm coming. No matter what." He said, his eyes fiery.

"It's not you kids I'm worried so much about – except Gwen, of course – it's your families, Carl and Frank can't possibly look after themselves, they're not super-powered, they're just humans, and let's not forget Sandra and Lili. But, Gwen, I don't want you to fight on ground. The fact that you're a direct descendant of Verdona's is bad enough, but being an Anodite only makes it worse. Being exposed to Esytrase will most certainly damage your brain. It's not safe."

"I don't understand, Grandpa, Grandma Verdona's fought him, she's fine!"

"She's a mature Anodite. Esytrase has little or no effect on her."

"I'll be fine, Grandpa, you said prolonged exposure is harmful! Well, I'm going to pull a Ben and say that we'll kick Zaurus' butt back to the Null Void in ten minutes flat. You HAVE to let me, Grandpa! I'll be fine."

"No, Gwen, and that's final. It's too risky."

"Grandpa's right Gwen, it's not safe for you, we'll deal with Zaurus, and you can work at the back. Read off his location, find him, and stuff. No contact." Ben offered

"Yeah, stay where it's safe Gwen, please." Kevin said.

"No! Why did you call me here if you won't let me fight?" Gwen cried

"Because if we went without telling you, you'd find us and follow us." Ben explained

"Gwenny, I'm disappointed in you. I hoped you would understand when I explained it to you."

Gwen hung her head. "I want to be a part of this, Grandpa. But if you don't want me to, I won't" She amended.

She watched her cousin and her boyfriend talk with her grandfather, planning things she couldn't be a part of. _Yeah, right. Stay where it__'__s safe, my butt. _She thought, her green eyes narrowing.

**_If you_****_'_****_ve got this far, I_****_'_****_m so glad. Please Rate and Review _****_– _****_it_****_'_****_s my first fanfic, and I_****_'_****_d like some advice. Thank you to Solora Goldsun for inspiring me to write my own Gwevin, though this chapter is a bit weak on that front. It_****_'_****_ll get better! I promise! Again, review please, because I_****_'_****_m a bit lost. Thanks in advance. xxoo_**


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